Hi everyone, thought I would check back in to report that my laptop is being replaced.
This is the second Macbook Air I have had replaced in only three years, both due to the same logicboard failure and 'unidentified issues.' Both happened at EXACTLY the same time - two months outside of the Apple warranty - as some other users have reported. Its incredibly suspicious.
Here is my tips for getting your laptop replaced:
- You must be incredibly persistent.
- Write LOTS of emails - to Apple and to the repairer if they are external. Get everything you can in writing. Complaints to corporations (and governments) in many cases are treated as official complaints only if they are received in writing. Always remember that. It is also a great way to record evidence of the problems you're experiencing with official dates and times. Leave a massive paper/email trail wherever possible. If you are in touch with a specific Apple Care person assigned to your 'case,' address your complaints to them personally and keep emailing only them.
- You must record the fault/s in every way possible - screenshots, videos, photographs, written descriptions. I took around thirty-forty videos of my laptop screen going blank, capturing the sound when it would run hot and loud and showing the spinning wheel of death/processing lag time, and took lots of screenshots of Activity Monitor. I even did my own 'tests' as the battery was draining so quickly, where I would take screenshots of how much was drained, and recording the time and which processes/software I had been using...I then organised them in a PDF in order.
Evidence is your key to getting a replacement at it cannot be ignored as something you're exaggerating/imagining or creating yourself through incorrect use. They won't necessarily look at all your evidence (the repairer looked at about half of mine), but it also gives you the confidence to argue your case. They told me all these things numerous times, and in both cases I have had my laptops eventually replaced because I had the proof it was happening. Doing this much recording also shows you're organised, intelligent and willing to go to lengths to prove the fault is real, which forces them take you more seriously.
- Report things that may seem minor. Once you suspect there is a serious problem with your product, make sure you think about every little example of what has been going wrong with it. Some issues on their own might sound like no big deal, like a couple of keys skipping/jamming as I had both times. But when you add that flaw to a list that also includes heat, noise, screen black outs and battery drainage, together this other minor issue just adds further to the bigger picture of an overall faulty product. Apple does not do full replacements of any unit without a series of problems - minimum of three - being presented for repair first.
- Run all the diagnostic tests yourself. Do this before you waste your time calling them, as this is the first thing they will ask you to do. Record all your results. Test everything possible. They will eventually ask you to do a full wipe and re-install of OSX. If you do it before they even ask you to, you will make the process of possible replacement a lot faster.
How to use Apple Diagnostics on your Mac - Apple Support
http://osxdaily.com/2016/06/25/how-to-use-apple-hardware-test-to-diagnose-mac-pr oblems/
How to reinstall macOS - Apple Support
- Do your research/know your product. Having a good idea of for example, what the normal cycle count or daily battery life should be for your specific product (and its age) when you take it in for replacement will make them take you more seriously if you complain about it. My battery was draining crazy fast, but it kept showing up in their tests as 'normal.' Because I knew what normal was meant to be - from looking at a lot of articles and forums - I could argue that their test was not giving an accurate reading. If you don't know that stuff, you can't argue with them. They eventually retested - on the FIFTH trip to the repair store - and agreed that the battery was not working correctly. You don't need to know everything about how your computer works - I definitely don't - but you do need to understand how it is they measure whether a system/process is functioning or not functioning to know what to record as evidence, and when to argue that they're wrong.
- Pre-warranty period. If the flaw started before the warranty ended and you only realised how bad the issue was just after your product was out of warranty (most people wouldn't run to the repairer the first time the screen goes blank), make sure you tell the repairer that. If it is only a couple of months outside the warranty they should believe you and try to repair it. If they say no, write lots of complaint letters clearly stating/providing all of your evidence - when/why/how the issue began and why you didn't bring it in before the warranty officially ended.
- Expect the process to take a long time. For both laptops, including all the trips to the repairers, back and forth emails and phone calls with Apple, it took MONTHS, not days. The first time took more than six months. Don't expect them to just cave in and give up their products without doing everything in their power not to. It takes time. Keep at it. Be patient, be persistent and let them know politely but firmly you aren't going anywhere until the issue is resolved.
I do have to preface these 'tips' with saying that I live in Australia, and we have very good consumer protection laws which extend well past the official Apple warranty, so getting a replacement here is a lot easier than in other countries. I hope spending my time writing up these tips helps at least one of you get a replacement. Good luck.
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